Don’t Be a Foolish Voter

 

The last time I wrote about voting, despite my best efforts, I managed to offend some readers. Now, don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t lose any sleep over the fear of offending anyone. I can honestly say that I’ve never intentionally set out to offend, but simply to state my opinions clearly and openly which I have every right to do. I cannot control the reactions of others, and although I respect the right of others to disagree with me at times, I have little (or no) respect for those individuals who cannot hear a contrary thought without getting hurt or offended.

My previous thoughts on voting haven’t changed, even though the candidates have. Here’s what I had to say about the last election. A Writer's Life: Are Today’s Voters Stupid? Or Just Ignorant? (rdperryauthor.blogspot.com)

I’ll try not to repeat myself, but let’s talk about November. The Presidential candidates and their positions could not be more different and the decision should be an easy one. (IMHO) I really believe this, because of the candidates and their relevant experience. This is a rare and unique situation. Why listen to the candidates talk about what they will do if elected, or what the other candidate will do? We have actual data! Trump has been the president before! We know exactly what a Trump presidency will look like! And we can say the same for Harris. She has been the Vice President for the last three and a half years and claims to have been included in every major policy decision of the Biden administration. (You also have her voting record as a Senator, as well as a long history of positions on issues going back to her days as a California prosecutor.) We’ve seen a Trump administration and we’ve seen a Biden/Harris administration. And in the words of Dr. Phil, “the best predictor of future behavior is… past behavior.”

To put it simply, if you want to know what a Trump presidency will be like, look to 2016-20. If you want to know what a Harris presidency will look like, think about 2020-24. Consider the biggest issues on the minds of voters. The economy? Immigration and the border? Foreign wars? Then ask yourself the famous question posed to voters by Ronald Reagan in his 1980 debate with Jimmy Carter. “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” That answer alone should make the decision easy.

The problem is two-fold. Ignorant, uninformed voters and flat-out stupid, foolish voters.

In the first category, I consider the voters who believe everything they see and hear. Kamala Harris says quite a lot. She is a politician, in every sense of the word. With very little research, you can find her taking multiple positions on several key issues. Even Bernie Sanders has basically said that she will say whatever she needs to say to get elected. And sadly, she will say it in whatever accent appeals to the particular crowd she is addressing. Whether you agree with him or not, Trump tends to be more consistent, despite the fact that the mainstream media (and Biden and Harris) continue to call him a liar daily.

In contrast, the second group knows the facts, but chooses to ignore them. (Or acts as if they aren’t that important!) It is truly sad. There are hardcore conservatives who will vote for anyone with an R next to their name. There are liberals on the left who will support any candidate with a D by their name. (Honestly, I do believe the Democrat side has many more of these kind of voters!)  But the real problem is the vast number of voters who are perfectly willing to vote for their favorite candidate even when that candidate clearly promotes things they claim to be against. These are the foolish voters who are destroying our country.

I want to scream at them to wake up and realize what they are doing! This isn’t some high school prom queen election where popularity determines the winner. This is real life. Voting for either candidate just because you like them more than the other one is foolish, if that person has an entirely different set of values and beliefs than you do. When did our elections become so insane?

Unbelievably, there are several prominent conservative Republican politicians who have declared their intention to vote for Kamala Harris. Really? You hate Trump so much that you are going to help elect the most liberal candidate we’ve ever seen? Seriously? You’re willing to throw out your entire value system and support a candidate who holds an extreme opposite position on every issue you’ve ever fought for? Crazy!

But forget, the newsworthy fools. What about the average voter? Or the foolish one? If you can barely afford gas or groceries, how can you vote for the ones responsible for the rampant inflation in the first place? If you believe that every country should have a secure border in order to protect its own citizens, how can you vote for those who have allowed the border to remain wide open and done nothing to prevent the illegal immigration of millions over the last three and a half years? (Not to mention the problems of human trafficking, and drugs, and criminals from countries around the world who have walked across our southern border.) If you believe abortion is morally wrong, how can you vote for candidates who believe so strongly in abortion on demand (even late term abortions)? If you believe in the second amendment and the right of citizens to bear arms, how can you vote for candidates who advocate forced confiscation of guns and appealing that amendment?

Time to be blunt. When you vote for these people, you are ultimately responsible for the things they do. Bottom line. Do you want a rude, sometimes crude, sometime embarrassing president who puts America first? Or do you want a nice person who will stand by while our country crumbles? Don’t be foolish. Or stupid.

The Real Threat to the Democracy

 

How many times in the last year (or more) have you heard the expression an existential threat to our democracy? And how many times was it directed toward one specific person and his followers? Just for the sake of clarity, let’s define our terms here. An existential threat can be defined as “a threat that could conceivably risk the extinction or widespread destruction of humanity.” (Bryan Walsh, Vox Media Editorial Director) Makes a lot of what we’ve heard seem a bit over-exaggerated, doesn’t it? But these are the same people who are trying to convince you that a couple of thousand (mostly unarmed) protestors who stormed the capital one January were a serious threat to overthrow our entire government.

Candidates running for office will often make outrageous claims about their opponents in order to bolster their own chances, but this particular one is downright laughable. Biden, Harris, and tons of other Democratic leaders want you to believe that Donald Trump is a tyrant (another Hitler), and if he wins in November, he will throw out the Constitution, declare himself King, and refuse to ever leave the White House again! Maybe not the end of humanity, but at least the end of America as we know it.

Do you believe them?

I don’t. I do believe however that there is a real threat to our democracy, our form of government (constitutional republic), and our country as we know it. And that threat comes from the very ones who are making the accusations.

Have you ever noticed that many people tend to project their own faults onto others? Liars tend to believe that everyone lies. Thieves think everybody steals. And so on. And then, because they believe it, they are often quick to accuse others of the very things they are prone to do. (My theory anyway.)

If you know much about the founding fathers, you know they spent a lot of time on the Constitution. They developed a unique system that has worked pretty well for the last few centuries. To avoid tyranny, they established three separate, but equal branches of government, with lots of checks and balances. Then, they added the Bill of Rights soon after it was ratified, adding those amendments to ensure that certain rights and freedoms would always be protected. (That is to say that citizens would be protected from the government. There were many Americans who did not want a federal government at all, but that’s a story for another day.)

So, is our democracy being threatened? And by whom? Ask yourself the following questions.

• Which party is using the executive branch to prosecute (and persecute) a political opponent?
• Which party wants to change the rules of the legislative branch so that a simple majority will allow substantial changes to laws?
• Which party is attacking the credibility of the judicial branch and seeking to restructure the Supreme Court?
• Which party is actively trying to censor (and/or criminalize) your first amendment rights to free speech?
• Which party would love to completely abolish the second amendment, or at the very least greatly limit that freedom?
• Which party is intent on turning millions of illegal immigrants into voting citizens?

In 2008, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke about “fundamentally transforming” the United States of America. Maybe we should have listened to him. He was serious. His party still is, and they are still working to achieve that goal.

So yes, there is a real threat to our democracy.

A New Start

 

I have been encouraged to restart my blog and against my better judgment, I think I will give it a try. When I first began this blog, I was retired and devoted a great deal of time to my writing. Currently, I am only working part-time, and aside from procrastination and laziness, my biggest problem is not so much finding time, as it is fighting the boredom of saying the same things over and over. Allow me to explain.

For a long time, I was writing mostly about politics. Maybe it is the nature of politics to run in cycles, but I discovered at a certain point that everything I wanted to say, had already been said in a previous blog. Even as I sit here today, is there really anything new to say? Or does it feel like 2020 all over again. Trump can’t seem to stay out of his own way and his opponent is doing everything she can to avoid the media. Biden hid in the basement, and Harris stages photo ops and refuses to answer questions. Like Biden, Harris is trying to convince the voters that she is a moderate and not the most radical leftist to ever seek the office.

The recent debate was worthless. Like always both sides claim to have won. And like always, the candidates only occasionally responded to the actual question that was asked. Mostly, they argued and gave mini speeches. And as always, the moderators were extremely biased, as is most of the mainstream media these days. Regardless, the thought of writing about the upcoming election simply depresses me.

Another favorite topic of mine was movies and TV. Similar to my comments about politics, my opinions on current entertainment also feel repetitious. Honestly, I watch very little in the way of new programming. Wokeness and political correctness has ruined it for me. I used to love the sitcoms, but comedies aren’t funny anymore, because we can no longer make fun of anyone or anything. Someone is sure to be offended, so we sit through boring shows that are more interested in promoting an agenda than actually entertaining us. Every show features a diverse cast (which is great) that is wasted (which is a shame) on poor quality programs that viewers quickly grow tired of. And as a conservative Christian, I am often offended by the agenda being pushed. (Instead of crying about it, I just choose to turn it off and go on with my life. You know, because I’m an adult.)

I like to write about sports, but once again, I was writing the same old things. I still hate the Dallas Cowboys, LeBron James, and Taylor Swift. And the general wokeness and political correctness that has taken over even this aspect of our society. If ever there was a place where true meritocracy reigned, you would think it would be in sports, but not these days. Biological men are winning in women’s events, and we’re not supposed to notice, because that would be intolerant of us. In the NFL and NBA, announcers often talk more about race than ability. We can’t even decide on the proper pregame protocols and what anthems to play or not play. Again, I choose not to watch at all.

Anyway, look for something new in the next few days, and then, my plan is to write a blog post at least once a month. Maybe someone will even read it.